


Paradigm Shift

by StillNotGinger10



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M, Misunderstandings, olivarryweek2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-12 12:20:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15339762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StillNotGinger10/pseuds/StillNotGinger10
Summary: Barry and Oliver are friends. Partners. That's all they are...Right?





	Paradigm Shift

**Author's Note:**

> My olivarry week piece for Free Day. This pairing is so fun to write :)
> 
> Thanks wonderingtheblue/blue_wonderer for helping me think of a summary and for getting me into the ship to begin with! <3

Barry had spent more time in Starling City in the past month than he had in the past year. Not that he was complaining. It was easier for him to run to Starling than it was for Oliver to ride the train to Central. And Barry liked that he was getting more quality time with his friend.

It started when Oliver made a surprise visit to Central one day. There was no meta that Barry needed his help with, no mystery that Oliver needed Team Flash to help solve, just Oliver visiting his friend.

Barry showed him his favorite parts of the city and then Oliver had used his influence to get them into a nice restaurant that Barry had never dreamed of being able to get a table at. It had been a lot of fun and had only gotten better when they went out with the rest of Team Flash to karaoke the next night. Barry hadn’t been able to convince Oliver to sing, but he still managed to embarrass the billionaire when he jokingly dedicated a song to him.

Oliver must have had fun too, Barry thought, since Oliver called him not even a week later to ask him to dinner. He said that if Barry enjoyed the restaurant in Central so much, then he’d love Oliver’s favorite in Starling. So, Barry had run over that night and had some of the best food of his life.

They kept it up, with Oliver inviting Barry here and there every few days. Sometimes, Barry would even show up uninvited with a stack of pizza from Coast City in his arms topped with a couple of DVDs, and they’d have a movie night.

So no one thought it odd to see Barry at a Team Arrow gathering. He felt like one of the team, even though he was really only part of it by extension. He’d become good friends with all of the Starling City heroes over the last month, so he no longer felt like he was just a visitor, not really.

It was great. It was the sort of friendship he’d dreamed of having with Oliver and his friends ever since discovering Oliver was the Arrow and getting powers of his own. Oliver wasn’t just his mentor, he was his partner and friend.

Looking out over the room full of heroes, Barry couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. He was part of this, part of the team. He was part of something that mattered, and he was making a difference.

“Barry,” Oliver called as he waved him over, interrupting Barry’s thoughts.

Oliver was with another man that Barry hadn’t met yet. Once Barry reached them, Oliver introduced him as Quentin Lance. Oh! Barry smiled as he realized this was Laurel and Sara’s father. He shook Quentin’s hand, happy to meet the man that had raised such amazing daughters.

“And Quentin,” Oliver continued the introduction, “This is Barry, my boyfriend.”

His what now?

Barry stared at Oliver in shock, ready for him to laugh or correct himself. But he didn’t.

He and Quentin continued the conversation as if what Oliver said wasn’t odd or absurd or completely Earth shattering.

“Really now?” Quentin asked. “How long have you two been dating?”

“About a month now,” Oliver said, and just _what?_

Barry had been dating Oliver Queen for a month? How had he not known that?

The world slowed around him as Barry rushed to process what Oliver had said. The noises of the party quieted as all of the guests became still.

“We’re dating?” Barry practically shouted at Oliver, who was right next to him but would never hear Barry when he was moving that fast.

“I know we’ve been spending more time together,” Barry continued as he paced around Oliver, ranting at the frozen man, “but I thought we were just becoming better friends.

“Okay,” Barry said, turning away, “maybe friends don’t go out to fancy dinners alone that often, and maybe they don’t sit that close on the couch when watching movies, but—” He turned back to Oliver, gesturing wide as he yelled, “You never said anything! You didn’t—well, you said ‘it’s a date’ a couple of times, but how was I supposed to know it was a date-date? You didn’t—”

Barry turned suddenly, covering his face with his hands, “Oh my god, you kissed me, or you _tried_ to, but then I got confused about why your face was getting so close to my face, and I backed up, and before I could even say anything, you started to say something about going slow, and—” Barry smacked his forehead. “I’m such an idiot.” He moved to stand right in front of Oliver and looked him in the eyes, and even though Oliver couldn’t hear him, he said, “I’m so sorry that I’m such an idiot.”

He resisted the urge to peck a kiss to Oliver’s lips because apparently _he was allowed to kiss Oliver Queen_ —how had he not been taking advantage of that for the last month—and slid back into his place at Oliver’s side and into real time just as Quentin said, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Barry.”

“You too,” Barry said with a smile, and turning, he saw Oliver smiling at him too. How had he not seen how warm Oliver’s smile was when turned towards him?

Quentin got called away by Thea, and Barry couldn't stand it anymore. Was he really allowed to—?

He pressed a kiss to Oliver’s cheek.

And Oliver looked pleasantly surprised.

Not angry or shocked, but like something unexpected had happened that made him happy.

“What was that for?” he asked, wrapping his arm around Barry.

Barry brought his hand up to cup Oliver’s cheek, marveling that he was allowed to touch, that his fingers were so close to a spot he’d just been allowed to kiss. “I like when you call me that,” Barry said.

“My boyfriend?” Oliver asked, looking just as giddy as Barry felt. But why would he when he’d known that they were dating for a whole month now? Did one kiss on the cheek really make him as happy as it did Barry?

“Yeah, that,” Barry said with a smile of his own.

Oliver hummed as he slowly leaned forward as if he thought Barry might move away. No way. Barry wasn’t moving away ever again. He was soaking up every touch and kiss and warm smile that he could.

Oliver pressed the softest kiss Barry had ever felt to his lips before pulling away with a smile that was even larger than before, if that were possible. “I like it too,” he said.

“Good,” Barry said before Diggle’s voice brought his attention back to the party.

“Hey, lovebirds. Come join the rest of us.”

And then Barry did. With his boyfriend.

And even if he was the last to know they were dating, he couldn't have been happier about it.

 

* * *

 

Epilogue:

“Barry,” Oliver’s voice came through Barry’s phone as he multitasked trying to process evidence and talking to his _boyfriend_ , “it’s not that I’m not grateful, but why are you suddenly sending me so many gifts?”

“I just realized I haven’t been nearly romantic enough in this relationship,” Barry said as he looked into his microscope.

“You’ve been plenty romantic,” Oliver said. “I love spending time with you, Barry.”

“I love spending time with you too,” Barry said, looking up from his microscope. He leaned back in his chair, focusing on Oliver instead of his work. “I just wanted to show you that. I thought you’d like it.”

“I do,” Oliver reassured. “I just don't need _that many_ bouquets.”

“Some of them are the edible ones made of fruit,” Barry rushed to explain.

“There’s dozens of them, Barr.”

“You can’t have too many chocolate covered strawberries. Don’t be ridiculous, Ollie,” Barry said with a laugh before leaning back over the microscope. Oliver must be joking. No one would actually complain about food and flowers.

“I may need your help to eat them all. Are you free tonight?”

“You bet!” Barry said, smiling. Another date with Oliver. He couldn't wait. And he was going to let his boyfriend know that night that there was absolutely no reason for them to take things slow. Now that Barry knew he was in a relationship, he was all in.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this post](https://parkkate.tumblr.com/post/175983683155/remus-this-is-my-boyfriend-sirius-weve-been) on tumblr.
> 
> Hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it!


End file.
